Producer: US Gold
Retail Price: £8.99
Author: Accolade

The Mosquito (the plane, not the insect) has starred in many a daring WWII film. Now US GOLD offers you a chance to try your hand at one of the oddest and most successful flying machines in the Allied arsenal.

Built almost entirely from wood, the Mosquito was heavily armed, fast, and quite manoeuvrable for its size. It was used whenever a few tons of high explosives delivered accurately would be more use than a lot of TNT spread all over the place.

To become an ace of aces, you must show your ability at flying four different sorts of missions: bomber interception, V1 flying bomb interception, U-Boat Pen bombing and train busting.

The program loads in two parts.

First, decisions are made as to what missions, or combination of missions, are to be flown, and the Mosquito needs to be armed accordingly. An intelligence screen is displayed, giving directions of targets and likely opposition. Armament consists of cannon, rockets, bombs and drop tanks (to extend the range of the bomber). As much armament as desired can be loaded, but the plane becomes less responsive as it is weighed down.

After selecting mission and armament, the next section of the game is loaded.

Five screens control the Mosquito. In the cockpit is the joystick and forward-firing cannon and rockets. Instruments show attitude, heading, speed and attitude. There's also a radar screen showing attacking enemy craft and their relative height. A diagram of the plane is present on all the screens warning the pilot of any problems on other screens.

Two screens look out over either wing. These control the engines. Throttle and boost controls adjust propeller speed and pitch, making the plane go faster or slower. Flaps and undercarriage can be raised or lowered to suddenly change the plane's speed and shake off attackers. The trim control is used if one of the engines has packed up. It 'feathers' the prop and prevents the machine from going round in circles. There's also a fire extinguisher to be used if an engine catches fire and has to be doused - however this puts the engine out of commission.

A map screen shows the Mosquito's position and that of any targets to be attacked. The bomb bay screen is used during bombing missions. When the bomb bays are opened, targets can be seen below you. To bomb a target, the plane's speed is reduced to 100 knots and height to 1000 feet. Then, when the target is visible through the bomb bay doors, a cross hair is moved over the target and the bombs dropped.

Except for the control stick on the first screen, all controls are used by moving a dot cursor over the appropriate icon - using left and right keys, then holding the fire button down and using the up and down control keys.

After completing a mission, the Mosquito heads back home. There is no landing sequence, you just have to fly over the home base. Points are scored for targets destroyed and any spare ammo brought safely home.

COMMENTS

Control keys: 1-4 selects view; M map, O left, P right, Q up, A down, X fire
Joystick: Kempston, Cursor, Interface 2
Use of colour: bland but functional
Graphics: atmospheric skyscapes, and detailed cockpit interior
Sound: Good spot effects
Skill levels: one
Screens: five

US GOLD have taken the two aspects of Spectrum gaming that I hate most, flight sims and multi-load, and created one of those totally unplayable horrid games. Ace of Aces is further sullied by difficulty, it is extremely hard to get into. Even if you do manage to get involved, the gameplay isn't enough to keep even the most avid player bashing away for long. The graphics are fairly good, the sense of motion created by sheets of clouds scrolling forward works very well. I can't really recommend this - it's too much money for too little gameplay.
BEN

What is this game trying to be? The Top Gun of the 1940s? It's well presented, but lacks any substance or addictiveness. I really liked the idea of having the commander pointing out your options at the beginning - although it's a pity you only get one chance to pick your controls. Once the launch sequence is over I found that you had to do very little else in the game. Shooting down the enemy is easy to get used to - in fact the only bit of fun is putting out fires on the wing. Ace of Aces doesn't contain enough to make it worth playing for more than a few days.
PAUL

This product isn't bad, if not exactly legendary. The graphics are quite neat; the clouds flying past and under you are very well done. The cloud barrier is something often lacking from flight sims and it really adds realism. The various missions on offer give more addictivity than you'd find in most aims, but the multi-load system soon becomes a pain. That said, US GOLD have finally picked up on the potential of Dambusters, and made a much more playable game. Worth looking at if you haven't already got 50 thousand flying games on your shelf...
MIKE

OLDIES UNLIMITED

This month see the inimitable PHIL KING scouring through the CRASH back issues for that crucial information on all the rereleases between now and mid-November. Take it away Phil...

Ace Of Aces
Producer: Kixx
Price: £2.99
Original Rating: 62%

Designed by American software house Accolade, Ace Of Aces was first released by US Gold in March 1987 and is a two-section World War II flying simulation.

Section one involves selecting a mission or combination of missions. Enemy targets are displayed on the Intelligence screen, along with the weapons you must select from to arm the plane.

Section two contains the game proper - where you pilot a Mosquito on its mission to eliminate the enemy. A multitude of controls are used to control the plane on five different screens - from the cockpit to the map screen. Once the mission is completed, it's time to return to base to collect points for targets destroyed.

Although boasting some fairly impressive graphics, such as the detailed cockpit and the realistic clouds which fly past, Ace Of Aces offers little long term playability. Destroying enemies becomes simple after practice and there's little else to keep you corning back for more.

US Gold
£8.99

BrrrRRRrrrRRRRrrrrRRrrrRRRRrrrRRRRrrr! Dambusters? Hah! Spitfire 40? Piffle! Psion Flight Simulator? Poppycock! Give me dicing with death in my Mosquito bomber any old day.

Ace Of Aces is an airborne romp around the skies over Europe in the early '40s, where you can exchange lead with the Jerries in an exciting dogfight to the death. Exactly what the dog is doing there, I dunno, but that's not important right now...

You've got to seek and destroy some trains, and boats and planes (sounds like a cue for a song) in Germany, and escape back to Blighty in time for tea and crumpets.

There's lots to look at in your Mosquito. Ooo, there's lovely full screen graphics of your front view, and, er, the left and right views out across the wings... handy if your engines catch fire, 'cos then you can turn on the jolly old extinguishers... and of course you can look out of the bottom of the aircraft through the bomb doors, y'know, give the old RAF coiffure a riffle in the airstream. And in the back of the plane you've got a map of Europe, a sort of Mosquito drivers Michelin Guide, where you can see the targets and fly to them. Oh yes, you've got to watch out for those cursed Boche fighters, the old Messerschnitzels, who'll strafe the living wotnots out of you d you give 'em half a chance! So it pays not to spend too much time inspecting your footrest, or you'll end up as a roundel sticker on some Baron's fusilage.

So if you fancy dicing with death. or even diced Jerries, then this is the flight sim/shoot 'em to shreds for you, old bean!

BARGAIN BASEMENT

Skinto deluxe? Then rifle thought this month's cheapies with Marcus berkmann - you might find a bargain!

Kixx
£1.99
Reviewer: Marcus Berkmann

This was an interesting game - US Gold's only attempt, since MicroProse went off by itself, to enter the potentially lucrative flight sim market. The fact that we've never seen anything similar from the Brum giant rather indicates that this was not a massive commercial success, but for all that it's not a bad attempt. Ace Of Aces takes you into World War 2 as the pilot of a Mosquito (bzzzzzzzzzzzzz - SLAP!), downing Nazi bombers, outrunning Y-1 rockets and generally having a stiff upper lip. Corky!

Though this is not, I think, quite up to MicroProse's peerless Standards, it's certainly more than just a shoot 'em up, and provides more than a couple of minutes' challenge for flighty chaps like Biffo and Storker. More importantly, it's just about the only decent flight sim on the market at £1.99, and for that we should be thankful. Chocks away, Smudger!

Label: US Gold
Author: Artech Digital Productions
Price: £8.99
Joystick: various
Memory: 48K/128K
Reviewer: Graham Taylor

January, 1943. British pride and guts - lots of guts - are needed if you want to become a WW2 Top Gun. Hermann Goering, commander of Germany's Luftwaffe, has proclaimed than no Brit 'planes can bomb Berlin. You've got to prove him wrong.

Strangely enough, Berlin doesn't figure too strongly in this game. You've got three missions plus a practice mode that enables you to get the hang of your RAF Mosquito bomber. Unfortunately, each mission has to be loaded separately, and that can take 20 minutes during which time you have to sit by the Spectrum to make sure that the right segment is loading.

The targets are Nazi bombers, U-Boats and POW trains that are on their way to Berlin: You also have to outrun VI missiles. You view each mission from the cockpit where - as in US Gold's Dambusters - you must take on the role of pilot, navigator gunner and bomb door operator. There the similarities between the two games end. Ace of Aces has better graphics, more action and less strategy than its little brother.

Each mission starts above the clouds. If you're looking for enemy bombers you just move the stick left and right until a dot appears on the radar, then draw it to the centre of the circle where it will appear before you in the sky. If you have trouble spotting it you can switch your view and look out of the left and right cockpit windows. The graphics for these side windows are fantastic. You can see the 'plane's wings and propellors, and the clouds roll in an almost continual slip stream. Don't spend too much time looking out the windows. The Mosquito has a complex control system and if you take your eyes off the dials for too long you could end up spinning into the ground or over heating your engines.

The enemy's 'planes aren't dummies. They will tempt you to dangerously low altitudes and force you to run after them in the hope that your engines will catch fire. Nazi bombers can also turn on you and put bullets through the Mosquito's windscreen. Pilot death and crashes into the ground are the most frequent ways in which the game ends.

The weapons you select at the start of each mission depend upon the types of target you're likely to encounter. If you're after other bombers small rockets and cannon shells are the best bet, while the heavier bombs should be used for larger targets as trains and U-Boats.

Maps at the beginning of the game show the positions of rail tracks and the likely submarine haunts. Targets don't turn up conveniently when you fly into enemy territory, especially if they're not combat capable.

You've got to hunt for them and that, next to the long loading period, is likely to irritate you if you're looking for the instant excitement of Gauntlet or even Top Gun. Bear with these irritations, it's not as if they are irrelevant - they allow you to play a larger, more complicated game. Once the action starts you'll look back on the quiet moments with affection.

World War Two has proved to be a popular topic for the top software houses, but it's unlikely that anyone will beat Ace of Aces for some time it's smooth realistic graphics and the difficulties of finding and destroying Nazi war machines far outweigh the unwieldy physical structure of the game. WW2 'plane simulations don't come much better.

TONY HETHERINGTON TAKES A SPIN IN FOUR OF THE LATEST SPECTRUM FLIGHT SIMULATORS.

US Gold
£9.95

"No British aircraft will ever bomb Berlin" was the claim of Luftwaffe chief Herman Goering. Now, thanks to US Gold, you can join the ranks of RAF Mosquito pilots that not only bombed Berlin but also trounced trains, pummeled planes, sank submarines and even scored victories against the dreaded V-1 buzz bombs.

Your game begins in the briefing room with your possible targets marked on the Squadron Leader's blackboard. You choose whichever ones you like, go on a practice mission or attempt the Ace of Aces grandslam and go for the lot. However before you can bomb submarines and trains while fighting Me109s, London bound bombers and V-1s you'll need to learn how to fly this highly versatile fighter bomber.

The mechanics of flying are similar to those experienced by Lancaster bomber pilots in the excellent Dambusters game and consists of a series of screens each with their own set of controls. The plane is steered from the pilot's screen that shows the view through the front of the aircraft as well as instruments to monitor the plane's height, speed and course and direction and height of any enemy "bandits". The Mosquito has two Rolls Royce engines that are controlled directly from the port and starboard engineer controls. These monitor the throttle and boost given to each engine and also contain a fire extinguisher in case the engines overheat. There are also flaps and landing gear controls that can be used in evasive tactics as they'll cause a sudden loss of speed although you don't need them to land or take-off as the computer does that for you.

ON COURSE

Selecting the navigator's screen punches up the mission's tactical map that plots the relative positions of you, the target(s), any bad weather that can make flying even more hazardous and, of course, the dangerous Me109 fighters. Once you reach your target (on a bombing mission) it's all up to the skill, accuracy and timing of the bombardier. Opening the bomb doors will hopefully reveal the target that can be destroyed by your bombs. This screen is also used to dump empty fuel tanks to lighten the load and to switch the forward gunner (pilot screen) from cannon to rockets.

Naturally each mission is different and requires specialist tools, so you can customise your weapons load before you set off adding extra bombs, rockets or cannon ammunition and extra fuel tanks for longer flights.

To finish your training you should fly a few practice missions to tune up your timing as you bomb the train (taking care to hit only the carriages that don't contain POWs) and submarines before they dive to safety.

In the real bombing mission it is vital that you get everything right as you only get one chance. The ideal approach is at 100mph at anything under 1,000 feet but this might not be always possible if you've been damaged by Me109 attack.

After the raid get back to Blighty in time for another mission. Your performance is based on a points system with high scores awarded for getting back as well as for targets hit and even bombs, fuel and rockets saved.

After a few successful sorties you'll be ready for a double mission, perhaps defending London against V-1 and bomber attacks until finally you go for the grandslam and become one of the Ace of Aces.